Hello everybody! I’m a long time lurker.
I have been playing a Dixon 2 piece plastic flute in G for about a year. I’m in the market to replace it with a wood or delrin flute in G. Can anyone give some guidance? My budget is around $300.
I have also been playing a Dixon piccolo in D. I have been looking at a Sweet, but they call it a fife and my impression of fifes is a bit negative. The whole blistering volume thing wont fly because i live in an apartment.
Thanks for your help!
The Copley 3 piece Delrin without rings is $335. http://www.copleyflutes.com/catalog.html Great flutes, you’ll never need to upgrade again.
Thank you for the help. But, the only delrin G i can see on the website is over $700.
I found it!
Anyone have thoughts about the piccolo I mentioned? Or opinions about fife vs piccolo? Are they the same thing?
Another option for a flute in G, about 220 dollars I think, is the Sweetheart G flute. I have one of
these in rosewood and it is very good.
Also I would like to try a Billy Miller bamboo G flute. I have one of these in Bb and it
is very good and works fine for ITM and the other stuff I play, IMO. Under 100 dollars.
I think these perform as well as much more expensive flutes.
Phil Bleazey in England offers a flute in G at £240, again somewhat above your listed threshold, but a wooden instrument in this case.
Best wishes.
Steve
Traditionally a Fife has a narrow cylindrical bore is keyless and is designed to favour the second and third octave. The first is rarely used.
A simple system piccolo is an octave higher than a flute with one or more keys (originally though keyless are now made) using the first octave.
There are grey areas such as Jem’s piccolo and the Dixon with a cylindrical bore and I’ve read of at least one Olwell cylindrical bore high d instrument, and Ralph’s old Renaissance piccolo. These are made to play in the lower octave as well.
And Sweets folk fifes which are conical bored and are really small flutes.
Also adding to the confusion is some folk call Bb band conical flutes (erroneously) fifes.
See the link in my signature for more than you ever wanted to know about the piccolo in Irish music , including current makers and recorded eBay prices of antiques.
I would also suggest looking into bamboo flutes in G. I have one of those by Chris Dawson (Rhiannon flutes); I don’t think he’s making flutes anymore, but it’s a really nice flute with a strong tone. Of course the main problem is that you don’t have any way to tune it; people will have to tune to you if you’re playing with others.
Thanks for all the great info and suggestions! For the G flute i will probably go with the Copely. The Sweetheart looks really nice and i love the look of wood, but the Delrin is alost maintenance free.
Dunnp, thanks for the link. Terrific resourse. I’m still on the fence about it.
A quick note. FWIW, the Sweetheart flutes are soaked for a long time in tung oil, which makes them impervious to moisture.
They are virtually maintenance free.
Forgive my wonky timing on this old clip.
But I really miss this old Sweet G I had.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bCNri60vX10
I purchased a couple of wooden G flutes from English maker Tony Millyard who makes very good quality and easy to play flutes.
This clip is 4 years old now but the flutes are very reasonably priced at £290
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue_zQd93Q_I
Thanks for all the help, everyone!
I ordered a Copley in G. Still looking for an affordable piccolo. One maker is selling one for $600. Just about double my piccolo budget. 
His pics are beautiful. Im sure his flutes are top notch for those who can afford them!
I did find out that Casey Burns will make you a flute in G or F if you ask nicely. I see an F in my near future.
I make a 3-piece, 6-hole PVC black G flute with an oval embouchure, inline or offset finger holes, installed Tipple-Fajardo wedge, and faux brushed silver rings for $85. The flute includes a hand-made cloth bag for the assembled flute and a steel/cotton swab. I recently made one of these for a professional musician in The Netherlands, and she wrote that she was pleased with it. I am currently making one for another professional musician in Utah, who has ordered a flute in every key that I make, ten flutes in all.